I had an interesting debate with an older colleague the other day, who felt that all work should be performed on a schedule (e.g. 9 to 5). While I wholeheartedly agreed that many positions require a strict schedule, many others do not. If I provide a particular service that others depend on, then a strict schedule is a communication tool to my customers, colleagues, boss, etc. as to when I will be providing that service. This holds true if I am assembling car parts in a plant, on the phone for an IT help desk, providing exercise training for people in a gym, or even managing people.

On the other hand, jobs that require creativity, such as art, engineering, and writing, emphasis should be placed on the final product, not strict adherence to a work schedule. Don’t get me wrong, people still need to be held accountable for meeting deadlines or else nothing will get accomplished. The point is that emphasis should be placed on creativity and flexibility for a number of job positions rather than work hours.